What noise do cattle make as a group?

Answer 1

Cows make a variety of pitiful sounds when they are being slaughtered. A cow usually knows something is wrong the minute then go into a slaughterhouse and will begin nervously mooing and will often cry out in an odd way.

Answer 2

Technically and colloquially speaking, cattle go "moo" or vocalized in such a way that it is called "lowing."

However, in reality, most cattle don't go "Mooo;" each bovine has its own sound, if you stop and listen closely enough. Cows often have a low, deep "Murrrrr!" sound, or "Muuuuuuuw," and calves go, "Merrrr!" or "Mmmaaawww!" A fair number of other cattle, no matter the sex or age, can even go "Mawwww!" or "Rurrrrraw!" or "Mmmmmmmer!" They may even have a vocalization that ends low but then ascends on a high-pitched note that may go out of a human's highest level of hearing (or sometimes to some human ears, sounds like it ends in a sort of squeak) and then ends on ".....er!" it would sound something like "MuuuU!" or "MuuuuUU....er!" Some cattle have calls that first start at a low note, then ascends into a vocal range that makes it sound like it is bugling, more than if it was bellering or lowing. This bugling can repeat itself three or four times: sometimes six if the bovine is that desperate to get its point across. It would go something like "MuuuUUU! uuUUUu! uuUUUuu!"

When a cow is gently calling her calf, all she does is make a one-noted "Mmmmm" sound. But when they're separated, they are quite loud in calling each other. Weaning time is especially loud and ear-splitting, especially if there are over 100 cows and calves that have been weaned from each other! Bulls, when challenging each other make a really growly, low, rumbling "Murrrrumph!" or "Rurrrrrummmph!" Cattle that are panicked or experiencing some level of pain will often make a short, sharp "MAAawwuuuuer!" If a stimulus is particularly upsetting, like if the animal is getting its panties in a wad about getting needled (in a manner of speaking), or has to go through the painful process of dehorning, this vocalization may be prolonged a half a second or more. Cattle that need to alert to danger, are stressed because they've been separated from the herd, or for some other reason that causes it stress, may have a higher-pitched vocalization than if it was in a calmer state.

So it really depends on the individual bovine and what they're being so vocal about.

Answer 3

The English word for the sound a cow makes is "lowing." You know, as in "The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes..."
Most English speakers would, if asked to write the sound itself down, write something like "Moo." However, people who speak other languages represent it differently. A great page showing different animal sounds as interpreted by speakers of several different languages can be found in the Related Links section. For cows, most of them are "M" followed by some vowel sound, but a few seem to hear it beginning with a "B" instead.

Answer 4

The slaughtering process, if done correctly (which it very often is), is so quick and sudden that a cow will not emit any sound after being stunned then hoisted up and bled out. The only sound may be the air being slowly let out of the lungs through the cut to the throat, but no other vocalizations are emitted.

If the slaughtering process is done wrong and the animal is still alive, vocalizations can be low and guttural, often drawn out from high pitch to low. Obviously the animal is in pain and suffering and this needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Unlike what is being said below in the community answer, a cow does not know something is wrong even upon entry into the slaughter house. A cow, bull, heifer or steer that is not used to being confined or subject to unfamiliar smells and sounds will naturally be nervous. Slaughterhouse aside, you would be nervous too if you were put into a place or subject to surroundings that are not part of your daily routine. Like humans, cattle love routine and if anything is out of whack or they are moved to a place that contains unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells, they are bound to get nervous about it, regardless what will happen to them in the next minute or so.

Answer 5

lowing